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Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Secret tomb of five archbishops

The Church of England doesn’t have a
pope, but it does have an Archbishop of Canterbury.

Historically, the
Archbishop has wielded lots of power, so you’d think historians would
know where every one was buried. But that’s not exactly true—as the BBC reports a recent discovery uncovered five buried archbishops.

The remains of five Archbishops of Canterbury were found in a
hidden crypt beneath St. Mary-at-Lambeth, a medieval church in London.
The structure is located next to Lambeth Palace,
the Archbishop of Canterbury’s official residence for nearly eight
centuries. While the church hasn’t been used for religious worship since
the 1970s, but it once was noteworthy not just because of its famous location, but because of the rich history within.

Part of that history was uncovered by builders busy doing a
restoration project on the church. They were lifting flagstones from the
ground when they uncovered a hidden tomb. A glimpse of an archbishop’s
red and gold miter—the traditional headcovering
of a bishop—greeted the builders, the BBC reports. When they went
inside, they found a stack of coffins, many with nameplates that point
to famous residents.

Among the dead uncovered are five Archbishops of Canterbury, including Richard Bancroft, who played a role in the creation of the renowned King James Bible. Bancroft violently objected
to the translation of the bible—the third and most famous English
translation in existence. But later on, he ended up overseeing the entire contentious project, and was the man who laid down the guidelines.

Forty-seven translators and scholars
produced the King James Bible, which was first published in 1611. The
project dates back to 1604, when King James I decided a new version
could help consolidate political power.
A popular Puritan bible had downplayed the divine right of kings
— greatly offending James — and James manipulated different Christian
sects until they agreed to produce a different translation.

The result became an incredible, long-lasting success. The King James Bible has influenced language, literature and culture for more than 400 years.